The field of the invention relates to air/fuel control systems for internal combustion engines equipped with catalytic converters.
Feedback control systems are known for trimming liquid fuel delivered to an internal combustion engine in response to an exhaust gas oxygen sensor positioned upstream of a three-way catalytic converter. Typically, the exhaust gas oxygen sensor provides a two-state, high/low (rich/lean) output dependent upon the existence of a low or high oxygen partial pressure in the engine exhaust under local thermodynamic equilibrium on the sensor electrodes. Because the exhaust gas may not be in thermodynamic equilibrium, the high-to-low switch point of the sensor may not occur at the stoichiometric air/fuel ratio. In particular, the switch point may not coincide exactly with the peak of the window of the three-way catalytic converter. It is also known to use a second EGO sensor downstream of the catalytic converter for the purpose of reducing the mismatch between the sensor switch point and the peak window of the catalytic converter by biasing the mean air/fuel value.
The inventors herein have recognized, however, that even though an exhaust gas oxygen sensor positioned downstream of a catalytic converter provides a better indication of the catalytic converter operating window than an upstream sensor, it may not always provide the desired indication. Even when a relatively good correspondence is initially achieved, aging and temperature affects of the downstream oxygen sensor may cause a variance between the sensor indication and the air/fuel ratio required for maximum efficiency of the catalytic converter. The inventors herein have also found that even when the post catalytic oxygen sensor accurately switches at stoichiometry, the switch point may not be accurately aligned with the most efficient converter efficiency for a particular converter.